The classified intelligence that President Trump disclosed in a meeting last week with Russian officials at the White House was provided by Israel, according to a current and a former American official familiar with how the United States obtained the information. The revelation adds a potential diplomatic complication to the episode.
Israel is one of the United States' most important allies and a major intelligence collector in the Middle East. The revelation that Mr. Trump boasted about some of Israel's most sensitive information to the Russians could damage the relationship between the two countries. It also raises the possibility that the information could be passed to Iran, Russia's close ally and Israel's main threat in the Middle East.
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The officials, who were not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that Israel previously had urged the United States to be careful about the handling of the intelligence that Mr. Trump discussed.
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Former officials said it was not uncommon for presidents to unintentionally say too much in meetings and said that in administrations from both parties, staff members typically established bright lines for their bosses to avoid crossing before such meetings.
Israel's concerns about the Trump White House's handling of classified information were foreshadowed in the Israeli news media earlier this year. Newspapers there reported in January that American officials warned their Israeli counterparts to be careful about what they told the Trump administration because it could be leaked to the Russians, given Mr. Trump's openness toward President Vladimir V. Putin.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/...d-intelligence-russia.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
Edit: NBC confirming this reporting with 3 own sources: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=237017313&postcount=54
Edit: 2 Israeli officials confirm that leaked info lines up with what they shared with US: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=237022578&postcount=147
Israel is one of the United States' most important allies and a major intelligence collector in the Middle East. The revelation that Mr. Trump boasted about some of Israel's most sensitive information to the Russians could damage the relationship between the two countries. It also raises the possibility that the information could be passed to Iran, Russia's close ally and Israel's main threat in the Middle East.
....
The officials, who were not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that Israel previously had urged the United States to be careful about the handling of the intelligence that Mr. Trump discussed.
....
Former officials said it was not uncommon for presidents to unintentionally say too much in meetings and said that in administrations from both parties, staff members typically established bright lines for their bosses to avoid crossing before such meetings.
Israel's concerns about the Trump White House's handling of classified information were foreshadowed in the Israeli news media earlier this year. Newspapers there reported in January that American officials warned their Israeli counterparts to be careful about what they told the Trump administration because it could be leaked to the Russians, given Mr. Trump's openness toward President Vladimir V. Putin.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/...d-intelligence-russia.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
Edit: NBC confirming this reporting with 3 own sources: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=237017313&postcount=54
Edit: 2 Israeli officials confirm that leaked info lines up with what they shared with US: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=237022578&postcount=147
